P50-K bounty set for broadcaster’s attackers

By Liezle Basa Iñigo

 VILLASIS, Pangasinan – A group of local farmers here called on the government, particularly the newly created Presidential Task Force on Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of the Members of the Media to investigate the attempt on the life of broadcaster Virgilio Maganes last week.

Maganes, survived the attack after he pretended to be dead.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura or SINAG on Wednesday offered a P50,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of individuals directly involved in Maganes’ attack.

Farmers from different parts of Pangasinan helped raise the reward money to help authorities investigate the case.

“Isang linggo na, wala pa ring linaw sa kaso (It has been one week, and there is no development regarding the case),” said Rosendo So, SINAG chairperson.

“We want those responsible apprehended and charged accordingly, we are very alarmed that non-drug personalities like Maganes, would have simply been reduced as a statistic in the current war on drugs, had he not survived the attempt on his life, added So.

Maganes cheated death by pretending to be dead inside the tricycle he was riding.

According to SINAG, the real motive for the brazen attempt to kill Maganes was to silence journalists like him who, for years, reverberate the daily struggles of marginalized sectors, especially farmers.